My Boy
by Kurai Hitokiri
Summary: Muffy thought she would despise the new farmboy, Charlie Parker. Can Charlie prove her wrong?


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harvest Moon, Natsume, or any of these characters.

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, it's been a REALLY loooong time, hasn't it? I'm sorry, but I've been writing Zelda pieces lately, and then I forgot about Harvest Moon for a while… (Shame on me, I've committed a heinous act!!! Now I must go and re-brainwash myself into Harvest Moon by playing it!!!) Anyway, this fanfiction is long overdue and I promised it long ago.

To those of you who don't know me, hi, name's Kurai Hitokiri, and I hope you enjoy my cruddy writing.

**My Boy**

By Kurai Hitokiri

------------

Chapter 1: My Story

------------

My name is Muffy, twenty five years old, blonde, green eyed, pretty (or so I've been told), and single. I work in a bar as the barmaid, toiling behind the counter polishing glasses all day long or listening to the ramblings of Sir Talks-a-Lot (my little nickname for the annoying, impossible Rock). But unlike some bars, there are no drunken brawls, in fact, there are hardly any new visitors there.

My story is one of a complete and utter failure. And I don't mean to bore you to tears and make you sympathize with me when I say it.

I was like any other city girl, grew up, raised, and lived in the city for a while. In fact, everything was going, really, really well. I worked as a successful secretary to the CEO of a very wealthy company. I lived in the city for all twenty three years of my life, perfectly content until one day a stupid rat came to the company.

A woman named Nadia entered the company. At first she seemed nice, with the pretty looks and all that, but inside, the woman was a devil!!

Nadia sought to gain the trust of our boss, Mr. Sullivan, and in order to do that, she had to knock my friend, Kassie Martins, out of the way.

Kassie was the most trusted advisor and friend to Mr. Sullivan, and had saved him many millions of dollars when he was about to make foolish investing plans. She was a kind, dedicated woman who only wanted to use her money to help care for treatment for her ailing mother, who was extremely sick with cancer, and needed Chemotherapy desperately.

Nadia, however, revealed the true snake in her when she took documents containing Mr. Sullivan's money, and stashing them away in Kassie's office to frame her.

Mr. Sullivan was furious when the money went missing, and when it was found in Kassie's office, he was shocked and angered even more. Why would someone he had known for so long do this to him?

I was there when the money was discovered, and when Nadia planted the money, but there was nothing I could possibly do to sway Mr. Sullivan's judgment.

In my mind, I knew that Kassie needed the job more than I did. She had a mother she needed to care for, and I had more than enough to get by on. And so, I confessed to something I didn't do.

Mr. Sullivan was an extremely kind man, and so instead of suing the crud out of me and making me spend a few years in prison, he released me from the company and warned me never to come near again.

A few months later, I moved out of my old apartment and returned home to my mother and father for a while so that I could find a job somewhere.

For weeks I searched through ads in papers for a job that would suit me, but nothing seemed available in the city I so loved.

It was one day when I read the news that my eyes caught the ad in the paper for 'The Blue Bar' in Forget-Me-Not Valley. There being no other jobs available, I took the job and left home almost as immediately as I came.

When I arrived, I found that Griffin, the bartender and owner, was a very kind man. He had given me my own room, paid me far more than I deserved, and acted as a friend to me. True he was a bit cranky at times, but beneath that rough exterior was a heart of pure gold.

And so for two years, I have lived and worked in Forget-Me-Not Valley, loving every moment of it, and glad to have such great friends, like Griffin, Celia, Cody, and many others. It's been a long time since I have shown my true self instead of the flirty attitude I usually hide behind.

I wanted someone who could relate to my problems and listen to my every need, and be a great friend to me, someone whom I could let my true self out on. Little did I know that there would soon be a man that was coming that would totally rock my world forever.

------------

Chapter 2: Charlie Parker

------------

The regular monotony of everyday life in Forget Valley was broken when Lex Parker, the owner of Silver Farm, died unexpectedly, leaving a melancholy mood drifting through the air.

Lex Parker was a kind and friendly man that would rather speak in a calm manner when angry instead of yelling or getting frustrated. He was on friendly terms with everyone in the Valley, making him the favorite. Lex spoke little of his son, Charlie. The two never quite got along, and you could tell Lex's heart was partially broken from such. Oftentimes when he came to the bar he would take a tattered photo of his son out and stare at it, or ramble to Griffin about how little his son had written to him.

'It's like he puts the first thoughts in his head down on paper and just sends them away,' Lex would say, his gentle chocolate eyes flashing in pain.

From the way Charlie treated his father, I had concluded he was an arrogant, selfish jerk that had no right to treat his dear, kind father in such a way. In fact, I had such little desire to meet him that sometimes I would curse him.

The despair that had appeared when Lex had first died was deepened when I heard from Griffin that Charlie was to Forget Valley, to _live_.

In fact, Lex had left it in his will that he wanted his son to have his farm.

We were all very shocked when we heard this news, after all, we had expected Lex to leave it to someone closer to him, like Takakura, his friend whom had come with Lex to help run the farm in the first place.

Whatever the reason he was coming, I was adamant that I would not speak to, or even look at the arrogant, selfish Charlie Parker, who probably thought he was some sort of hot shot.

-------------

I was polishing a particularly dirty beer glass when there was a loud rapping at the bar door. The glass almost slipped out of my hands and onto the floor in shock, but I was able to regain my grip onto the fragile object the moment it seemed to be out of my touch.

"Griffin, could you get that, please?" I shouted as I began to stack some glasses into the back cupboard.

The half-awake bar keeper stumbled out of the back room, scratching his head and muttering incoherent things as he made his way over to the door. He'd been sleeping on the job… again.

Griffin opened the door and instantly the annoyed, sleepy look on his face was erased with one of surprise. For a moment he stood at the door, staring at the person there as though they were a ghost.

I, being too absorbed in the exciting task of cleaning glasses, didn't notice the two people silently step into the room. I only looked up after the door was slammed shut by Griffin.

Two men stood in the room, one was easily recognizable as Old Man Takakura, the other was a much younger much handsomer.

The man was about my age, maybe a year or two younger. He looked very at home in a simple plaid flannel shirt, the sleeves messily rolled up, and a pair of slightly baggy blue jeans. His feet were covered in brown boots, and hands in black and red gloves.

His face was finely carved, with a strong jaw. The young man's hair was brown and a bit messy, but somehow it suited him very well. His dark piercing chocolate brown eyes yielded no emotion or thought, they simply gazed into your mind and soul, staring every little truth out of you.

"Takakura, what brings you here on this fine day?" Griffin asked, looking at the old farmer with questions in his eyes.

The grizzly farmer cleared his throat before speaking in his rusty, deep voice. "I've come to introduce the new farmer to you."

My eyes snapped instantly back to my work and I began rubbing at a glass furiously with all my strength. I didn't even want to hear anymore. That young man with the fierce eyes is Lex's son? That can't be!

"So, you're Lex's boy, are you?" Griffin said. I could sense the venom of anger in every single word that Griffin said. Oh yes, he was just as mad, if not more, than I was. In fact, everyone in town had to be angry at Lex's son for his total lack of love for his father.

"Yes sir, my name is Charlie, sir, Charlie Parker," a deep voice said. The sound of it rushed through me like water. It was a toneless and cold voice, so unlike Lex's soft and comforting vocals.

"Well, Charlie, welcome to Forget Valley! Name's Griffin," I heard Griffin say. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"As it is to meet you, sir…" Charlie responded, his voice still toneless.

This was Lex Parker's **only** child? How could he be so vastly different than his sweet, gentle father? From the few letters that Lex had gotten, I had gotten the impression that Charlie was an arrogant jerk, but I didn't expect to find him so… cold. That was the only word that could describe Charlie's cool demeanor.

"Charlie, this is Muffy, my barmaid," Griffin said, walking over to the counter and leaning one arm on its polished surface.

I looked up from the glass I was cleaning and met the cold, calculating eyes, allowing a fake smile to spread across my features.

"Welcome to Forget Valley, Charlie," I said, trying with all my might not to explode and slap him on the face. Somehow I managed to keep the smile on my face as the young man studied me for a moment before returning his hated gaze to my eyes.

"Thank you," Charlie said, his voice barely audible. Was this boy under some previous trauma or something, because his voice, though I said it was emotionless, held some sort of sadness in it... something I couldn't put my finger on.

"Come on, Charlie, we have to get going," Takakura said to the younger man. I watched as Charlie gave a gentle nod, the only indication that he had even heard Takakura's voice.

As the two exited, I found myself slightly surprised by Charlie's personality. How could someone as young as him actually be so cold? If there was another Charlie, someone better within that cold, hard shell, then I would be the person to bring it out.

------------

Chapter 3: Prove me wrong

------------

"He **ignored** me!!!!!" Rock shouted as he pounded his glass onto the table.

I secretly chuckled behind my rag. Well, that was a power that we all wish we could have with Rock, wasn't it? I admire Charlie for actually having the nerve to speak up (or rather, ignore) against Rock, since most of us just tolerate him with earplugs in our ears. Than again, when I met him a month ago, he wasn't the most talkative of people.

"Charlie isn't the most… social of people in the valley," I said, a trace of a smile still visible on my face. Yes, he was the exact opposite of social, more like a… social disaster.

"Still, he acts like a… like a complete and utter jerk!" Rock muttered. His expression was sour as he sipped the concoction in his glass.

"I've heard he isn't quite the jerk you find him to be, Rock," Griffin said, leaning over the counter. "Vesta says that he helps out around her farm quite a bit, and that Celia has taken a liking to him. Chris and Wally say that he plays with Hugh in his spare time. Romana has even said that he helps Lumina by giving her little piano lessons, that the girl has never been happier since her parent's death than she is now."

"Those are just rumors. Did you hear them from the people's own lips?" Rock asked, sending a glare Griffin's way.

It's true, that sometimes Griffin was a terrible gossip, but this instance, he had heard from the people's own lips. I heard incredible stories about a person kind and smiling, someone that was so like Lex, it was almost like he had been resurrected into another form, the form of his son.

It was so different from the cold, unfeeling person that I had first met that I almost couldn't believe it. But I knew that it was true from my friend, Celia, who often worked at the farm.

She told me that Charlie would often come by with flowers in hand for her, smiling. The two of them would talk while planting crops, even starting dirt fights, laughing happily and eventually ending up covered head to toe in soil.

I had noticed that whenever she spoke of Charlie, there was sort of a sparkle in her eye, a wide smile on her face… She was in love with him.

"They are true, Rock," I said, placing the glass in my hand back on the counter. I was about to continue on my rant when the door opened, the bell over the door ringing. Into the bar stepped a very irritated looking Charlie and a very satisfied Takakura.

The two men sat down on the two remaining barstools while Takakura ordered his usual and something light for Charlie. My eyes remained on Charlie, who sat leaning against the table, staring at the wall with some sort of thought in his mind.

I couldn't help but notice the way his hair tumbled messily down into his eyes, and the way his chocolate orbs seemed to glow when the light hit them just right. Yes, Charlie was indeed a handsome young man.

Griffin sat the drink down in front of Charlie, who silently thanked the kind bartender with a smile before going back to staring at the wall.

Rock shot me an 'I-told-you-so' glare as Charlie continued his gaze on the wall while Takakura spoke with great enthusiasm to Griffin about random things. Together, the two men caused quite the ruckus in the bar.

Charlie looked so lonely and desolate in his own little world, that I decided to try and speak to him.

"Cheer up, Charlie. You might be here for a while, but at least you're not alone," I spoke up, my voice as gentle as I could make it for him. I still hadn't quite forgiven him for ignoring his poor father.

Charlie turned his intense gaze upon me, his eyes showing confusion as he stared into my greens.

I simply smiled. Well, well, this was the reaction that I expected to get! Let's see if Charlie can yet prove me wrong about what I think he's going to do.

"Well, say something!" I said, giggling slightly.

For a moment Charlie simply stared at me, his gaze almost scaring me before he opened his mouth to speak out.

"I'm sorry, I don't drink much," Charlie said, his voice barely one I could hear.

"Wow, I'm impressed! This is the most you've spoken to me the entire time you've been here in the valley!" I said. And I was amazed, he had hardly spoken to me, apart from the 'Nice to meet you' a month ago.

"I'm not a very social person either," Charlie muttered, sipping the drink before him. I suddenly noticed it. I'd mistaken his personality when I'd first met him. He was very shy, not cold at all!

Mentally I scolded myself, how could I judge a person I hadn't even met before?

"What is Takakura drinking?" Charlie muttered, staring at the thick soupy liquid in the old man's glass. From the way his nose wrinkled in disgust, I could tell he could smell the pungent stench of the drink, even though the glass was far from him.

"That's Takakura's usual. Griffin invented it just for Takakura," I said, recalling it within my mind. I remember when Takakura had complained that everything in the bar tasted like dirt. After that, Griffin invited Takakura over to the bar, and had the old man try different drinks, and eventually the two of them arrived at the slop in Takakura's glass.

"It looks like… like…" Charlie said, searching for the right word. "Well, I don't think I've ever seen something so disgusting… apart from some of the things on the farm. No offense to Griffin."

"I think Griffin would agree with you on this one," I said, staring at my boss. For a moment there was silence before I turned my gaze back upon Charlie. "Charlie, I have to ask you, even though we hardly know each other and all, but could you tell me… why you and your father weren't very close?"

Charlie's eyes dimmed slightly, but nevertheless he opened his mouth to speak again, and not with unkind words.

"Dad and I got along fine at the beginning. Growing up he was an awesome father, the best," Charlie said. "The two of us were inseparable, and we did everything together. But when I hit college… that's when the two of us began drifting apart."

"I wanted to major in music, then go on to be a professional sax player. I had tons of talent, so my instructors told me, and they said that I was sure to leave a big mark on the world with my playing. But Dad wasn't so keen on the idea," Charlie said, a bitter smile on his face. "Dad wanted me to come here with him to the valley, and together we would own Silver Farm, as father and son. But that wasn't what I wanted, and so the two of us grew more distant. Soon I hadn't seen Dad in five years, ever since my graduation from High School. I was a musician in a successful Jazz band when Mom called, saying Dad was dead in a car accident. So, I dropped everything and came here."

Lex only wanted his son to do something together with him, something where the two could maintain their closeness. He failed to see that his son was an adult, and as an adult, he wanted to live out his own dreams and for his father to be proud of what he did.

Sadness filled my heart, but I maintained a steady façade before Charlie, his face was now buried in his hands as he breathed heavily, almost showing his sorrow.

"But… that's all in the past now, and here I am, in Forget Valley," Charlie said, lowering his hands. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually glad I came here. I never would have met so many kind people if I had stayed in the city." Charlie smiled for the first time, a true smile that reached into his eyes and spread across his handsome features.

It was that smile, I think that spelled the end of my bitter resentment toward him, and set me on the road for something much greater.

------------

Chapter 4: Sax Player

------------

Charlie would occasionally come by the bar, a smile on his face and sometimes a flower in his hand for me. For Griffin, he would bring a rare berry of some kind so that Griffin could continue to experiment with flavors for new drinks.

Yes, the two of us became friends, confiding in one another, and telling each other's stories. We would laugh, cry, and smile at each other, and for the first time I wasn't 'Muffy the flirt,' I was just my true self. Finally I found the person to pour my true personality out on, and it felt darn good that I was able to do so at last.

I had gone to the city once, and when I arrived there, Kassie was the first to greet and thank me for what I had done for her. Nadia had long been fired for the company, and Mr. Sullivan, upon discovering that I was innocent of the charges he had placed against me, begged my forgiveness and asked for me to return.

For a while, I seriously considered it, but my heart won over and I refused, saying that I had a new home with new friends that I couldn't simply abandon.

And so the months flew by and everything was well.

It was the Fall music festival, and usually we would all gather in the bar and listen to Gustafa play his guitar, along with Griffin on his electric, but something new caught in my mind.

Charlie had mentioned all those months ago that he was a sax player, and a good one at that. So what if he was to play at the festival? It would certainly give us a bit more variety than before!

So with a good intention and hope in my heart, I went to Charlie to ask him and he answered…

------------

"No," Charlie said as he placed a seed into the ground.

"Aww, come on, Charlie, please?" I asked, putting my hands together. The two of us were standing in the middle of the largest plots of land, planting seeds for the crops that Charlie would sell come mid Fall.

The young farmer stood up, and glared daggers into my eyes as he reached for another seed in his rucksack. I however, didn't flinch at the cold stare since I had become acquainted with it the past few months that I had been friends with Charlie.

"Charlie, we only have two acts!!! Two acts every year, and both of them are playing guitar!" I said, bending down next to my friend. "We need more variety! You said you play Saxophone, so it's perfect!"

As he covered the last hole with dirt, Charlie took his watering can and began dousing the small mounds of dirt with ice cold water. He once again turned his gaze upon me, but this time with a look of irritation in his brown eyes.

"I haven't played Sax in months, Muffy. I'm not going to play, I'm a farmer, not a musician anymore," Charlie muttered.

Curse him and his stubborn personality. Well maybe if I taunt him a bit…

"Oh, are you just scared to perform in front of people again?" I shot back furiously at him, my temper slightly rising.

"Me scared? You wish," Charlie said, laughing. We turned to another row of seeds, and so I began my argument again. This time, I would play the pity card.

"Come on, Charlie!!!" I begged, falling to my knees and grabbing onto his strong arm. "If you're not going to do it for everyone else, do it for a friend… Please?"

This time I had him!

Charlie looked upon my expression of pitifulness and sighed. "Alright, I'll play, I'll play! Just stop looking at me like that!"

I instantly jumped to my feet and grabbed him in a large hug, which he tried to squirm away from. Sadly for him, my grip on him was too strong from him to escape from.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, jumping up and down merrily.

"Let me go, Muffy! You won't have another act if you break me like a board!" Charlie shouted.

"Oh, sorry," I said, instantly letting go, yet still beaming at my friend. This was going to be some music festival… at least I hoped so.

------------

Charlie was busy fastening the strap onto his silver saxophone while Griffin was busy rocking out on his guitar. Everyone in the bar looked with wide eyes upon the old man as he shook his head wildly and strummed at the guitar with fire.

"I really do hope you know what you're doing," I muttered to Charlie as he slipped the neck strap on and held his sax in his hands.

He simply smiled at me and then turned his attention toward Griffin, who was bowing to the people of the Valley as they wildly clapped for Griffin's little performance.

"And now, people of the Valley, we bring you a very special treat. A new entry, and he has asked my help in this…" Griffin said, putting his electric guitar down and strapping on a bass guitar. "Alright, here he is, Charlie Parker."

Charlie stepped up to the front of the crowd and smiled widely at everyone. "Hi, and I'm going to slow things down a bit here with a Jazz song."

He motioned to Griffin, who began to play a lazy melody into the air on his bass.

After about a few moments of letting the melody play through the air, Charlie put his sax to his lips.

A lazy tune fell into the air, and you could almost heart the lyrics to the song being sung by the sax. Even though the song lacked drums and all the other instruments, the bass and sax were all we needed to hear.

After the song ended, Charlie was fast off the stage and putting away his saxophone when I caught up to him. Everyone was cheering for more, but still he slowly took the instrument apart and put it back in its crushed velvet case like you would put a child to bed at night.

"That was great, Charlie," I marveled.

"It was okay," Charlie said, shaking his head slightly. "I was a bit off key, I think."

My mouth almost dropped it surprise. If he thought that was okay, then what did he think was great?

"Will you do it again next year?" I asked, hopeful. Everyone in Forget Valley loved that song, and I had a feeling that Charlie had a lot more tricks up his sleeves that he hadn't shown us tonight.

Charlie, being the person he is, simply smiled, his eyes twinkling as he strapped the tattered and torn case of his instrument to his back. "We'll see…"

That night I went to sleep with the music in my mind, dreaming of Charlie playing his Saxophone.

------------

Chapter 5: I like, no, I love you

------------

Like I said earlier, my friend Celia is in love with my friend Charlie. In fact, the poor girl was head over heels with him.

Sometimes while I was at the farm, Charlie would come by and help Vesta with harvesting, tilling, or planting, and Celia and I would sit on the fence near their barn house and she would stare at him, occasionally making comments like 'See how his eyebrow quirks when he smiles' or 'look at how his eyes flash when he's disappointed.' Yes, she was so deeply in love that even watching Charlie was fascinating.

I had oftentimes seen how Charlie looked at Celia, and it was different from how he looked at me, or anyone else. His eyes would brighten and his lips would produce the most radiant smile. He looked at her with such love and adoration… It made me jealous.

I don't know what emotions I felt for him, but I had to convince myself that we were just friends, and that's all that we would ever be. No matter if I had a little… crush on him, it had to be so for Celia. If Charlie were to marry someone else, then I know that Celia would be destroyed.

Charlie never talked much about Celia though. But whenever her name was mentioned, I could tell he was a bit happier than before. It was still odd that he never mentioned the one that he loved, but I just dismissed it as Charlie being Charlie.

After all, I think we all know that Charlie isn't the most emotional person in the world, and even less trusting with people when it came to sharing emotions.

But I must admit, curiosity was getting the better of me, and I had to know, whether it was for my own acceptance of his feelings for her, or just to become more hopeful that he loved someone else… perhaps me.

------------

The two of us were sitting under the shade of the large cherry tree over by the side of the river. It was a mutual agreement that we had to at least meet each other here everyday at the same time to take a break from our jobs.

The sun was warm on my face and there was absolutely no cloud in the sky. It was truly a very beautiful day. However, since we had arrived here an hour ago, we hadn't spoken a single word, other then 'hi.'

Though I tried to appear rested and calm on the outside, inside I was a mess of emotions. I was torn between loyalty to Celia and her love for Charlie, and my own feelings for him. What was I going to do? Would I let Celia and Charlie be together while I was miserable, or would I realize that my own feelings for Charlie were greater than I thought, abandon Celia, and tell him?

Either way, someone would become extremely miserable for the rest of their lives.

The question was biting at my tongue, and soon the curiosity I felt was too much for me to contain.

"Charlie," I said softly, opening my eyes and looking at him.

"Hmm?" he asked, not even bothering to open his eyes to respond. The cool wind whipped his hair and made him appear, oddly, more handsome than before.

"Do you… love Celia?" I asked. Oh Gods, I was going to regret asking this!!!

His eyes shot open and he looked at me with confusion in his eyes before he looked up into the sky and he smiled. "Celia's a good friend… a very, very good friend. But somehow, I think that there's someone else that I love. I know that Celia loves me, and I'm very sorry if anything I do hurts her, but there's just not that… connection."

"Connection?" I echoed, mildly curious as to what my friend was talking about.

Charlie turned his gaze upon me, but instead of those piercing, smoldering eyes, they were soft and gentle… understanding almost. Just like his father's…

"The bond that you have between you and the one you love. You feel as though you could spend all day with them, watching skies, talking… doing anything together for the rest of eternity. A friendship deeper than any before," Charlie explained. For a moment there was silence between us before he let out a loud, booming laugh. "Oh God, that sounded so corny."

"No, it wasn't corny. It had a lot of truth to it, Charlie," I said, smiling kindly at him. Somewhere inside my heart, I could feel it, the warmth of my emotions. A great and wondrous, yet alien emotion that I had never felt for another person. It was love.

------------

Chapter 6: Betrayal

------------

Winter, the month of cold and death. However, in my mind, it was also the month that I loved the most and it also meant that Charlie had a lot more free time on his hands than before.

We spent everyday together, whether it was playing in the snow, laughing at each other's antics, or staring at the moon from the shores of the beach.

My feelings for Charlie had grown considerably every moment we spent together. I found myself blushing whenever his gaze met mine. My body would shiver at a simple touch. I would forget what I was going to say before I said it, and even more embarrassing, I would drop glasses whenever Charlie came in to speak to me.

Griffin was understanding, though, and was able to time exactly how to catch every glass I dropped and still not loose his temper at my poor performance at work.

I was happier than I had ever been in a long time, and it was all thanks to Charlie.

But I was growing impatient with time, even though I was happy. I wanted Charlie to know my feelings for him so that we might take a step up from being just friends. Then again, I didn't want to freak him out and utterly destroy what had taken so long to build.

So one day while we were together, I was given the perfect opportunity.

------------

"Muffy, don't be scared, it's snow, so it should be soft," Charlie said, pointing down the steep snow hill that we stood upon.

"No, you go first if you want to roll down a hill and get hurt!" I shouted, shaking my blonde curls out and staring daggers at him.

"Come on, live a little. That's what you tell me," Charlie said, grinning. He had changed so much over the year that I had known him, and now he was mischievous, friendly, and kind. Everything that I had ever wanted in a man.

"Charlie Parker, I will not go rolling down an ice hill looking like an idiot!" I shouted, pretending to be mad.

For a moment I thought I had won when another smile crossed Charlie's handsome features. His glove covered hand grabbed mine as the devilish smile grew still wider. Oh Lord, his touch felt so nice… didn't he know what he was doing to me? His voice snapped me from my reverie.

"You said that _you_ wouldn't do it, so what if I do it and just happen to take you with me," Charlie said, smiling. Before I could protest he had thrown himself down to the ground taking me with him and we went spiraling down the icy hill, our laughs echoing throughout the valley.

We came to a complete stop, but somehow we had ended up in a very, very awkward position.

Charlie lay in the snow, his face blushing bright red while I lay atop him, my arms on either side of his head.

This only spelt my doom, because as soon as my eyes met his beautiful brown eyes, I became lost in them.

I became numb and unaware of what I was doing, but my eyes studied his face and soon instinct took over.

I began to lean forward, and I could feel Charlie stiffen considerably under my body, but that did not stop me. For a moment I hung over his face, feeling his hot breath tickle my face. His breathing was fast and short from panic, his eyes wide in fear.

With nothing else in my way, I traveled the last bit of distance so that my lips met his, my arms poised about his neck.

I held there for a long moment, enjoying the sweet moment of my lips against Charlie's. The whole world seemed to freeze for that one instant, and then start again as I pulled away.

Quickly I stood and turned away from Charlie, who was also on his feet again, although he tottered dangerously like a drunk man. What had I done? That was basically unveiling the whole truth of my emotions toward him!

I felt Charlie's hand come down on my shoulder as he slowly turned me to face him. His face was extremely red, whether it was from blushing or the cold, I couldn't tell.

He opened his mouth and sound couldn't come forth. Finally, after a few minutes, he was able to get his wits about him and speak. "Muffy, t-that w-was… umm…"

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," I interrupted. Much to my dismay, tears began to pour from my eyes as I continued on a ramble about how sorry I was and how I would never, ever do something like that again, only to be stopped by his finger against my lips.

"Listen, Muffy. I… I can't say that I didn't enjoy that kiss, in fact, I find myself wanting to renew the…" Charlie's words were lost for a moment before he spoke again. "But I don't know if that was just out of impulse or if it was truly a real kiss…"

Charlie took a deep breath before continuing his statement. "I've loved you for a while, Muffy, and I want to know… do you love me too?"

I jaw dropped in surprise. He loved me? My feelings weren't onesided? My happiness erupted through me as tears of happiness poured down my face. There wasn't anything else I could do but smile at him.

"Yes, yes I do," I whispered to him, my words almost lost in my sobs.

Charlie smiled widely, a smile more brilliant than any he had done before. His hands left mine for a moment as he reached into his pocket and brought out a beautiful blue feather.

Looking into my eyes and still smiling he held it up to me. "Then please… will you marry me?"

I took the feather from his hand and was about to kiss Charlie again when I heard a loud and anguished scream from somewhere around us.

Charlie's eyes widened and the expression on his face was one of wild panic. My eyes followed his gaze, and I saw what made him so horrified.

Standing a few feet away, tears of sorrow and anger pouring down her delicate face, her hands covering her eyes, was Celia.

"M-Muffy, how could you?" she murmured over and over, choking on her tears. "You knew how much I loved him!!!"

"Celia," I whispered, trying to place a hand on her shoulder. Pain was shooting through my being as I saw my best friend crying, utterly broken in heart and spirit. How could I have done this to her? My dearest and closest friend?

"Don't touch me!" Celia sobbed, slapping my hand away. She turned and ran from me, staggering through the deep snow, the only sound left the swiftly crunching snow.

"Celia," I murmured, then put a hand to my chest. I began sobbing into my hands, and wasn't even comforted when Charlie's arms came around me, holding me in a gentle embrace.

Eventually I cried myself into complete darkness, only faintly aware of Charlie's alarmed calls of my name.

I had betrayed my best friend, but had gained the love of the man I had dreamed of for so long. My happiness was drowned in the seas of sadness and pain, as in my dreams I saw Celia's sobbing image burned into my mind for the rest of my life.

------------

Chapter 7: The Ending to my Story

------------

Celia was mentally broken… the two of us never spoke to each other again after the incident that Winter. But when I saw her in town, her face was tearstained and she appeared incredibly fragile.

A few weeks later, Celia contracted a deadly case of pneumonia, and died with Vesta by her side. The sadness of losing the man she so dearly loved was the last blow to her fragile heart.

Everyone in the farm was a little less happy now that the kindhearted farm girl was gone from our lives forever. The world seemed to be missing the former spark it had before Celia's tragic death.

Charlie and I remained together, and about a year after Celia's death, we finally married one another in a small ceremony. Everyone in the valley attended, and it was a happy day for everyone. Though Charlie and I were extremely happy with one another, we were still a sad about the loss of a dear friend, and we even had a candle placed on the altar to represent Celia.

Following our marriage, we were blessed with our first child about five months after, a beautiful little girl that we named after our fallen friend, Celia.

All this happened ten years ago, and here I sit, with children and a loving husband.

My life isn't so ordinary… in fact, when I look back on it, it seems sort of like a soap opera.

As I look at Charlie, I smile when I think of how much I used to loathe him. But now, the two of us are far happier than we could ever be. Our love is still as strong as it was all those years ago. And now, years later, we're still together, ready to spend the rest of our lives together.

-------------

**Author's Note**: Haha, done. Well, anyway, please tell me if you liked it. Do I need to work on anything? Please review, they give me an idea of what I need to work on!! Maybe I'll write a JackxLumina, but I'm not sure. (By the way, did you know that Charlie's name is actually the name of a famous Sax player named Charlie Parker?)


End file.
